Celtic boss Rodgers in search of Hearts revenge

GLASGOW: Revenge is on the mind of Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers as the Scottish champions prepare to welcome Hearts to Parkhead on Tuesday.

The former Liverpool boss has had things mostly his own way in the Scottish domestic scene since he took charge of the Glasgow giants in May 2016.

Under his guidance the Hoops have claimed all four trophies on offer and currently have an 11point lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

However, it is Hearts who remain the only blot on Rodgers’ otherwise flawless record after their 4 - 0 hammering of the Hoops in December brought Celtic’s record-breaking 69-match unbeaten domestic run to a halt.

Celtic are unbeaten in seven matches after normal service resumed following that shock defeat.

And Northern Irishman Rodgers wants his players to use the pain of their Tynecastle thrashing to motivate them when they face Edinburgh club Hearts.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using revenge as a motivation,” the Celtic manager said.

“You always want to win and I am sure Hearts’ celebrations afterwards gave my players a good message.

“It is the only game we’ve lost over the course of 77 domestic games — so yeah, there’s something to prove.

“We weren’t good though, and their pitch was awful.”

Rodgers added: “Everything that could have gone wrong for us did. But credit to Hearts — they exploited that and won. We have no excuse. — AFP